Wall construction



c. s. STROM Feb. 6, 1945.

WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 25, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1945- c. s. STROMWALL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 25, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. S. STROM WALLCONSTRUCTION Feb. 6, 1945.

Filed May 25, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet, 5

Patented Feb. 6, 1945 WALL CONSTRUCTION Carl S. Strom, Chicago,Ill.,'assignor to United States Gypsum Company, Chicago, 111., ;acorporation of Illinois Application May 25, 1940, Serial No. 337,153

16 Claims. (CI. 72-46) This invention relates to a wall construction,

tion for plastered walls and partitions.

It is often desirable in building construction to provide walls andpartitions which may be readily and economically positioned to subdividecomparatively large floor spaces into smaller rooms. An economicalpartition construction may comprise aplaster wall partition which maybe, supported on expanded metal or plaster boards in any desired manner.In such construction it is desirable to provide a simple and economicalmeans forsecuring the wall elements in order that the partition may beplaced in a desired location and to provide a base plate adjacent thelower ends of the wall elements which extends along the floor, wherebyprotection of the wall surface is afforded along the lower edge of thepartition.

It is one object of this invention to provide a means for securing wallelements such as studs or plaster boards to both the floor and theceiling of a roomin' such a manner that a flrm foundation is providedfor plaster and wherein the wall elements may be readily arranged alongany desired line.

A further object of this invention is the provision of means forsecuring the lower ends of metallic stud members or the lower edges ofwallboards which are independent of a continuously extending baserunner.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of means foradjustably securing the base plates adjacent the lower edge of thepartition.

Further and additional objects will appear from the followingdescription, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a wall or partitionconstruction is provided having wall elements such as metal studs orwallboards engaged at their upper ends by a ceiling strip and engaged attheir lower ends by means of a resiliently mounted base plate clip. Thebase plate clip is mounted on a resilient support means so that the baseplates secured thereby may be adjusted to compensate for any unevennessin the floor adjacent which they lie. In partitions in which wallboardsare employed as the plaster base, the wallboards are received 'by thebase plate clip. In metal stud construction, however, cooperative meanson the base plate clip and the clip support is provided for receivingthe lower ends of the wall studs as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a ceiling strip hasbeen provided i'or receiving the upper ends of metal studs whichcomprises a channel-shaped member having apertures in the yoke thereofwhich are adapted to receive the ends of the studs. The channelshapedmembers may be secured toa ceiling by means of either inwardly oroutwardly'extending flanges positioned adjacent the open longitudinaledges of the channel. A- ceiling strip for receiving the upper edges ofvvallboards has also been provided which comprises an elongate'd memberhaving ant-shaped cross section. A plurality of tongues are struck outfrom the strip which cooperate with one of the flanges thereor to form achannel for receiving the upper edges of wallboards.

In accordance with, another embodiment of this invention, a clipassembly-has been provided for positioning base plates and wallstuds or'wallboards adjacent an outside wall such as a masonry wall or woodenstud construction or the like. In this embodiment also the base plateclips are so constructed that vertical movement of the base plate ispermitted in order to com-.

lpensate for any irregularities or unevenness of stud and base platepartition construction in whichone base plate has been removed in orderto show more clearly the cooperation of the various elements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1 with theremoved base plate in position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clipsupport shown in theconstruction of Fig. 1 having an apertured/ stud. engaging tongueportion;

r Fig. 4' is a perspective view or the base plate clip shown in theconstruction of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a ceiling strip embodying this inventionpositioned on a ceiling indicating .the manner in which the upper end ofa metal stud may be engaged thereby; I I

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form of ceiling strip;

Fig. 7 is a broken perspective view. of a wallboard and base plateconstruction in which one base plate has been removed in order to showmore clearly the arrangement of the clips;

Fig. 8 is a plan viewof the base plate clip be had to the Fig. 11 is aperspective view of the clip support used with the clip shown in Fig.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a clip assembly embodying thisinvention showing base plates and the lower ends of metal studspositioned thereby adjacent a solid wall or a wooden stud construction;v

Fig. 13 is similar to Fig. 12 in which the cup assembly is shownengaging the lower edge of a wallboard;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the plate-like support clip used, inthe construction shown in Figs. 12 and 18;

Fig. 15 is a perspective. view of the base plate clip and wall elementreceiving means used in the construction shown in Figs. 12 and 13;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a wall clip adapted to be secured to asolid wall and to engage the abutting edges of wallboards; and

Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view showing the clip of Fig. 16 embracingthe abutting edges of a wallboard.

Reference will now be had particularly to Figs.

1 through 4, in which are shown various elements for erecting. apartition structure having metal studs 20 to which expanded metal 22 maybe secured by means of a tie wire 24. The upper ends of the studs 20 areheld in position by means of an elongated ceiling strip 26 whichcomprises a main bodyportion and flanges 28 and 30 extending inoppositedirections from the opposite longitudinal edges thereof to fomia Z-shaped cross section. Flange 28 is adapted to be positioned adjacenta ceiling 32 and is apertured so as to permit the passage of a suitablenail or screw 34 whereby the ceiling strip 26 is secured to the ceiling.The lower flange 30 extends substantially parallel to theupper flange 28andhas a plurality of apertures 36 which are adapted to receive theupper ends of the metal studs 20. The apertures 36 preferably conform insize and shape to the cross section of the stud member so'that the studmember cannot be twisted when inserted through the aperture.

The lower ends of the stud members 20 are secured in position by meansof the clip support member shown in Fig. 3. Each clip support membercomprises an upwardly extending main body portion 38 having an aperturedtongue member 40 extending at an angle thereto. The aperture 42 in thetongue member 40 is positioned to receive the lower end of the channelbar 20- portion 38 of the support and the floor or base to which thesupport is secured.'

A base plate clip 52 engages the clip support member through a slot oraperture 54 which receives the tongue member 40 of the clip support 'asclearly shown in Fig. 1, the lower end of the stud serving to lock saidbase plate clip in position on said tongue. The base plate clips 52serve as supports or securing means for base plates 58 arranged atopposite edges of said clips and extending at right angles thereto. Eachof said clips 52 has two pairs of oppositely disposed ears 56 which areadapted to engage in oppositely disposed groove-like sockets 60 providedby inwardly bent longitudinally extending flanges 62 positioned atopposite sides of each base plate 58.

In order to assemble the above-described partition construction, theceiling runners 26 are first secured to a ceiling and the clip supportsare secured to a floor directly thereunder in a desired line. The baseplates 58 are then arranged on either side of the clip supports and theears 56 of the base plate clips 52 are inserted in the groove-likesockets 60 by positioning each base plate clip v52 at an angle to thebase and thereafter bringing it to an upright position, thus forcing theoppositely disposed ears tightly into said sockets. At the same time thetongue 40 of the clip support is passed through the aperture 54 of thebase plate clip and the base plates 58 are thus positioned in fixedrelationship to each other and to the main body portion 38 of each clipsupport. .The wall studs are then inserted into the apertures 42 of thetongue members 40 of the base plate clips and the lower ends of thestuds abut the floor. The upper ends of the studs 20 may be insertedinto the apertures 36 of the ceiling runner 26 by bowing each studmember 20, registering the end with the desired aperture and permittingthe stud member to as indicated, in Fig. 5. The ceiling runner comprisesan elongated strip having a U-shaped cross.

section, in the yoke portion 64 of which is positioned a plurality ofapertures 36' for receiving the upper ends of the stud members.Outwardly extending flanges 66 are provided on the longitudinal edges ofthe upwardly extending portions or sides68 of the ceiling runner, theflanges 66 being adapted to receive nails or screws 70 for securing therunner to the ceiling 32. As shown, the upwardly extending portions ofthe runner may have suitable deformations 12 to provide a desiredmolding or design effect around the partition adjacent the ceiling. Theflanges 66 on the ceiling runner are preferably nailed to the ceilingbefore the finishing I4 is applied to the ceiling, so that the flanges66 and the heads of the nails 10 will be completely covered. Thus, aceiling runner has been provided which is pleasing in appearance,function to engage the upper ends of the studs for the partition, andprovides a molding around the upper edges of the partition.

A modified form of ceiling runner is shown in Fig. 6 and is similar tothat shown in Fig. 5 except that the flanges 66 at the upper edges ofthe sides 68 of the runner are bent inwardly into overlappingrelationship. A plurality of apertures are provided in the yoke portion64 between the stud receiving apertures 36 for receiving nails 16 whichare of suflicient length to be driven through the overlapping flanges 66and into the ceiling 32, thus afl'ording support for the ceiling strip.

' In accordance with another embodiment of.

this invention, a wall partition may be constructed having plasterboardsas a plaster supporting means and base plates engaged by clips similarto those described above. Particular reference will now be had to Figs.7 through 11, showing a wall construction and elements therefor in whicha plurality of plasterboards I1 are arranged in end-to-end relationshipin order to provide a desired partition. As particularly shown in Fig.9, the abutting plasterboards have a plurality of plaster receivingholes 18 and are braced by a plurality of vertically and horizontallyextending channel bars 80 which may be tied to the plasterboards throughthe. holes 18 by means of suitable tie wires 82. These channel barsserve to brace and reinforce the plasterboards prior to and during thetime they are plastered over and serve also to strengthen the completedplastered wall. In the completed wall,

said reinforcing bars will be covered by and embedded in the plastercoating.

The upper edges of the wallboards 11 are engaged adjacent the ceiling 32by an L-shaped ceiling runner 84 secured to the ceiling by means ofnails or screws 86. The ceiling runner may comprise an angle iron. asindicated in Fig. 7 or may have a curved cross section as indicated inFig. 9. The downwardly extending leg 88 of the ceiling runner 84 servesas a rest for one side of the wallboards 11, a, plurality of tongues 90being struck out from the portion 88 and bent downwardly to engageagainst the opposite side of the wallboards. A channel is' thus providedfor receiving the upper edges of the boards 11. The tongue portions 90may be struck out from the downwardl extending portion 88 or from theportion of the runner lying against the ceiling.

The lower edges of the wallboards 'I'I are engaged by a channel bar 92which is received by outwardly and upwardly extending flanges 94positioned adjacent the upper edges of a base plate clip 9 6 shown inFig. 10. This base :plate clip has a, ma'n body portion and a pluralityof oppositely osed ears 56 for engaging the oppositely disposedgroove-like sockets 60 in the base plates 58 in the manner previouslyindicated. The clip 96, however, is supported by means of a clip support98 shown particularly in Fig. 11. This clip support comprises a.platelike body portion I adapted to be secured to a floor or othersuitable base by means of a nail I03, an aperture I02 being provided forthis purpose. A slot I04 is provided in a flange I05 separated from themain body portion I00 by means of a Z-shaped deformation I08. The clip96 may be pivotally engaged with the clip support 98 by means of asuitable hook portion H0 provided at the lower edge of the clip which isadapted to be inserted through the slot I04 in the flange I06. Due tothe resilienc imparted to the clip support by the Z-shaped deformationI08, the base plate may be adjusted vertically in respect to the floor,the weight of the wallboard having a tendency to bear down on the baseplate clip and the base plates, thus forcing the base plate 58 to flttightly against the floor.

The partition construction described immediately above may be erectedfirst by positioning the ceiling runners, the clip supports, the baseplate clips, and the base plates, and afterwards positioning thewallboards in respect thereto in the manner indicated. A plaster coatingmay then be applied to the whole on both sides to produce the desiredwall partition.

In accordance with another embodiment of thi invention, a wall may beprovided adjacent a solid masonry wall or adjacent wood studconstruction. In such a, case, it is desirable to support the base plateclip and wall element supporting means by a support secured directly tothe solid wall or wooden studs. Referring now more particularly to Figs.14 and 15, a platelike c1ip H2, having an aperture Ill for a nail and anofiset struck out tongue portion H6, is provided which may be secureddirectly to a wall and engaged with a base plate clip shown in Fig. 15.The base plate clip has a main body portion H8 and an offset resilienttongue I20which is adapted to flt under and interlock with the tongueIIB of the plate clip II2 as shown more clearly in Figs. 12 and 13. Themain body portion II8 of the base plate clip has an outwardly.

of the main body portion II8 of the base plate,

clip to provide a rest for the channel bar 82 as shown in Fig. 13and-also to provide a recess in the clip for receiving the lower end ofa stud 20' as shown in Fig. 12. Thus, three sides of the lower end ofthe stud are held'by the clip it self, and the fourth side is held bythe base plate, the inner edges of the flanges'62' of said plateextending transversely of; and 'in contact with said fourth side of thechannel iron in the completed construction.

The tongue member I 20 on the main bodyportion I I8 of the base plateclip is somewhat broader than the tongue member I I 6 on the plate-'-like clip 2, thus allowing for vertical positioning of the base plateclip with respect to the plate-like clip 2. This feature makes itunnecessary for the base plate clip I I2 to be positioned exactly inreference to the floor, since the vertical adjustment will permit thebase plate to be raised or.

lowered for a limited distance to compensate for any slight misplacementof the plate-like clip I I2 or any unevenness in the floor. The verticaladjustm'ent of the two clips in respect to each other may be effected bypounding the flange portion I26 as desired:

In case. wallboards are employed adjacent a solid masonry wall or woodenstud construction, as indicated by the clip assembly shown in Fig. 13,it is possible to brace the edges of the wallboards by means of a clipsuch as shown in Fig. 16. Each clip comprises a main body portion I28having oppositely disposed fingers I30 which are adapted to receive theabutting edges ofplaster boards. An apertured'flange I3 2 isprovided-for securing the clip to the wallor stud construction I34, asshown in Fig. 1'7. In this manner, the

wallboard bracing irons v such as indicated in Fig. 9 are eliminated.

It is clear from the foregoing that a wall construction; has beenprovided which may be readily assembled; and adaptedfor use in erectinga partition without the necessity or prefabrication job, and the clipsfor supporting the base plates maybe positioned as desired withoutreference to a base runner.

While several particular embodiments of this invention are shown above,it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to belimited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it iscontemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover. any suchmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

1' claim: j

1. A clip for use in a wall construction which comprisesmeans forengaging a base plate, means for securing said clip to a base, and aresilient means connecting said base plate engaging means and said clipsecuringmeans and imparting freedom of vertical movement to the former.

2. A clip for usein a wall construction which comprises means'forvengaging and retaining a base plate, an apertured member for securingsaid,

of vertical movement of saidbase plate is per-.

mitted with respect to said floor. 4. A clip assembly for usein a wallconstrucstuds which comprises a first member for securing said assemblyto a base and a second member for engaging a base plate, said firstmember including means for receiving a stud and for engaging'said'second member and a resiliency imparting means whereby freedom ofmovement of said base plate in a substantially vertical direction withrespect to said base is permitted.

, 5. A clip assembly for. use in a Wall construction having wallboardsand base plates which comprises a clip having projections adapted toengage a base plate, a support for said clip hingedly engaged therewith,said support including means forresiliently securing the same to a base,and means carried by said clip for supporting the lower edges of saidwallboards.

6. A wall construction of the character d eh scribed comprisingsubstantially vertically extending wall elements, means for receivingthe upper edges of said wall elements, a base plate, a plurality of clipassemblies providing support for 8. A wall construction of the characterdescribed comprising a substantially vertically extending wall stud,means for receiving the upper end of said stud, a pair of base plates, aclip having an apertured main body portion for positioning said baseplates, support means for said clip, said support means beingresiliently mounted on a base, and an apertured tongue portion struckout from said support means extending through said apertured main bodyportion of said clip, said aperture in said tongue portion receiving thelower end of said stud whereby said clip and said support are lockedtogether.

9. A wall construction of the character described comprisingsubstantially vertically extending wallboards, means for receiving theupper v edges of said boards, a pair of base plates, clips for tionhaving substantially vertically extending wall the lower edges of saidwall elements and each comprising a cli for supporting said base plateand a separate clip support; said support having clip engaging means,anchoring means, and resilient means connecting said clip engaging meansand said anchoring means whereby said base plate is resiliently mountedwith respect to said anchoring means. 7

'7. A wall construction of the character described comprisingsubstantially vertically extending wall elements, means. for receivingthe upper ends of said elements, base plates, clips for securing saidbase plates in position, separate resilient clip support means hingedlyengaged with said clips, and means carried by said clips and therebysupported from said support means for receiving the lower ends of saidelements.

- edges of said wallboards.

positioning said base plates, support means for each of said clipscomprising a portion mounted on a base and a portion resilientlysupported by said first-mentioned portion and hingedly engaged with theclip to be supported thereby, and means'carried by said clips forreceiving the lower 10. In combination with a wall partition, a pair ofbase plates having inwardly extending flanges along the oppositelongitudinal edges thereof providing a pair of groove-like sockets, aclip having a substantially vertically extending main body portion andprojections engaging said sockets for positioning said base plates, andsupport meansfor said clip including means for engaging said clip, meansanchoring said support means, and a resilient portion connecting saidtwo last mentioned means.

11. A wall partition of the character described comprising a pluralityof coplanar, spaced, parallel wall studs, an apertured channel stripaffixed to a, ceiling for receiving theupper ends of said studs invertically slidable relation, a pair of base plates adjacent the lowerends of said studs, clip means for positioning said base plates,resilient support means for said clip means permitting substantialvertical movement of said base plates, and means supported by saidsupport means for engaging the lower ends of said studs in verticallyslidable relation.

12. A wall construction of the character described comprisingsubstantially vertically extending wall elements, means for receivingtheupper extremities ofsaid wall elements, a base plate, a plurality ofclip assemblies providing support for the lower extremities of saidwall'ele ments and each comprising a clip for removably engaging saidbase plate and a separate clip support means, said support means havinga clip engaging means and an anchoring means spaced therefrom andfurther having a resiliency impart ing deformation between said clipengaging means and said anchoring means whereby said base plate isadjustable for a limited vertical distance with respect to saidanchoring means.

'stud whereby said clip and said support are locked together.

14. A clip assembly for use in a, wall construction having wall studswhich comprises a, clip and a, clip support having main body portionspositioned in face-to-face relationship, said clip support comprisingmeans for engaging said clip, means for resiliently supporting saidclip-engaging means and means for engaging the lower end of a wall stud,and said clip comprising means for engaging a base plate.

15. A clip assembly for use in a wall construction having wall studs andbase plates which comprises a-clip having an aperture therein andprojections adapted to engage a'base plate, and a support for said clipincluding a portion secured to base, a resilient portion supported bysaid secured portion, a clip-engaging portion s pported by saidresilient portion and having said clip positioned in face-to-facerelationship thereto, and

an apertured tongue portion struck out from said clip-engaging portionand extending through said aperture in said clip and adapted to receivethe boards, a clip having projections erfgaging said base plates, meanscarried by said clip and embracing the lower edges of said boards tosupport the same, and a support for said clip having a portion adaptedto be secured to a base and a resilient portion carried thereby andfurnishing resilient support for said clip and said wallboards andurging the latter upwardly toward said ceiling strip.

CARL S. STROM.

